The five-round series will start at Mike Pero Motorsport Park (Ruapuna) on Saturday and Sunday and a number of talented riders are set to take to the track.
Canterbury rider Alastair Hoogenboezem will no doubt be at the sharp end of the field again this weekend, as will Scott Moir, of Taupo, who just missed out on his first New Zealand superbike class title last year to Auckland's Daniel Mettam.
The second round in the series will take place one week later at Levels International Raceway near Timaru on January 18-19.
Hoogenboezem says he feels confident heading into the first round.
"I was happy with finishing third overall last season," he said.
"I was on a new bike, so to get good results against guys who had been on the same bikes for years was pretty satisfying.
"I have been on every brand in the paddock now, but this will be my second year on the same model bike, so I'm really looking forward to this year.
"I have notes and data I can look back on and I can hit the ground running.
"Ruapuna is my home track and I obviously enjoy having the nationals there.
"Ruapuna seems to be one of those tracks that you need to ride a lot. It's a longer track and so there's quite a bit to learn.
"I was in second or third in the standings when I left Ruapuna last season, so hoping to achieve even better this time around."
Wellington's Sloan Frost and Christchurch's Jake Lewis are also expected to shine during the five-round championships series.
The action will also be fierce in the other bike categories, with the Supersport 600 class likely to a close affair, while riders in the Supersport 300, Ninja 400 Cup, 650 Pro Twin, Sidecars, GIXXER Cup 150 and Supersport 150 classes won't be holding back either.
Rangiora’s Avalon Biddle will attempt to defend her Supersport 600 title, but knows she will have her work cut out to fend off riders such as Upper Hutt’s Rogan Chandler, Whanganui's Richie Dibben, Te Awamutu's David Hall, Manukau’s Toby Summers, Tapanui's Seth Devereux, Christchurch’s Dale Finch and former Greymouth rider Ashton Hughes.
"We have fewer classes this year, but have retained all the core classes to make this a more hard-hitting, rip-fire race programme," said Motorcycling New Zealand road-racing commissioner Grant Ramage.
"The intensity will be lifted and this should please both spectators and fans alike," he said.
"This 2020 season will be a transitional one for us as we tweak what we had previously and introduce new formats. We will revisit this again at the end of the season."
NZ Superbike Championships rounds:
- Round 1 - January 11-12, Mike Pero Motorsport Park, Christchurch
- Round 2 - January 18-19, Levels International Raceway, Timaru
- Round 3 - March 7-8, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, North Waikato, Mike Pero MotoFest
- Round 4 - March 28-29, Circuit Chris Amon, Manfeild, Feilding
- Round 5 - April 4-5, Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo
